Moderate but wacky Islamic leaders?
Are there a lot of Malaysian orphans wondering how to get married and require a sitting Malaysian minister to tell them?
Hafidz Baharom, The Heat Online
In the last few days, Islamic organisations and government agency leaders in Malaysia have issued startling statements that would make any person question their religion.
Last week, the son of a former deputy prime minister suggested that the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) should be abolished.
A separate statement was issued by a Barisan Nasional pundit saying that instead of abolishing Jakim, it should be placed under the Conference of Rulers and not the federal government under the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Replying to these statements, the director-general of Jakim says that without his organisation, who is to maintain Malaysia as an Islamic nation?
Of course I am sure Datuk Othman Mustapha was referring to other things – you know, like our Federal Constitution and our Conference of Rulers, all of whom are constitutionally bound to uphold Islam.
Furthermore, according to CIA World Factbook 2015, Malaysia has a 61.3% Muslim population, not even including the large population of migrant workers based here. And yet somehow, it is apparently Jakim’s duty to ensure that a Muslim majority nation remains Muslim?
So, honestly, me being a Muslim and all, just where exactly is the threat that Jakim neutralises?
Because obviously, Jakim is not even countering the radicalisation of Islam by extremists supporting ISIS, nor is it helping stop these extremists from recruiting Malaysians through religious practices.
So what does it do? Friday sermons.
While we are on the subject, let us have a quick discussion on yet another irrational leader of an Islamic organisation. This time, the head of the Federal Territory Zakat Collection Agency, Datuk Che Mat Che Ali.
For those not in the know, zakat is the Islamic version of tithe, which applies in Malaysia to individual income and company profits. Both of these are optional, and the zakat on individual income is actually 100 percent tax deductible.
There is also the zakat fitrah which is the mandatory tithe all Muslims must pay annually during the period between the start of Ramadhan until the end of first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri according to the Islamic Hijra Calendar.
The zakat agencies collect this money and place it into a proverbial piggy (or whatever sharia compliant animal) bank called a baitulmal and then disperses the money to needy Muslims. Just to clarify, historically, there was not exactly a definition of whether the money can go to both Muslims and non-Muslims, but there you go.
